Mack hits trail, skips big votes

First, Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) called the House Republican budget “a joke.” Then his staff praised it for its “brave” ideas.

But there’s no official record of where Mack actually stands on the budget since he wasn’t around to vote on it.

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The four-term congressman, who’s now fighting for the chance to take out Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) this November, has missed 41 percent of all House votes so far in 2012, according to an analysis of congressional voting records as of Tuesday afternoon. That means he didn’t cast votes for a three-month extension of transportation funding, a piecemeal repeal of the health care law, and perhaps the most high-profile issue of the spring: the House Republican budget authored by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).

On the other side of Capitol Hill, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) himself has missed about 39 percent of all Senate ballots cast in 2012. He’ll rack up more absences this week as he stays in Utah to campaign before a April 21 GOP nominating convention that’s shaping up to be the biggest fight of his career.

These absentee figures make Mack and Hatch the top truants among sitting members of Congress who currently are engaged in competitive races for the U.S. Senate. As of Tuesday afternoon, the House had taken 157 roll call votes, while the Senate has had 66.

It’s long been the norm for lawmakers who hit the campaign trail to shirk parts of their day job as they weigh the benefits of working in Washington against making the rounds back home to talk to voters. And a congressional member’s absence on Capitol Hill — where the median rate of missed votes is only about 2.4 percent — can be a swift and easy attack for political opponents to make.

Case in point: Mack’s primary challenger, former Sen. George LeMieux, quickly slammed Mack in a press release after his missed vote on the Ryan budget, fueling more acrimony in the race that’s already been tinged with references to Mack’s bar-brawling past and Charlie Sheen.

“We are facing serious problems and we need serious leaders in Washington,” the LeMieux campaign said. “The Ryan budget was a crucial vote for the fiscal health of our nation, yet Connie was nowhere to be found. If Connie Mack the Fourth isn’t doing his job in the House, why would Floridians promote him to the Senate?”

By contrast, Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.), who is also facing a tough primary, has perfect attendance at Senate votes this year.

A handful of other senators in closely watched reelection races have perfect voting records so far in 2012: Sens. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Lugar, Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Nelson and Jon Tester (D-Mont.). Of the House members vying for a promotion to the Senate, Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) is the only lawmaker who hasn’t missed a vote yet in 2012.

Mack’s first stretch of missed votes this year ran from Jan. 24 through Feb. 6, coinciding with Florida’s presidential primaries where he didn’t merely endorse Mitt Romney but surfaced as one of the former Massachusetts governor’s top attack dogs in the Sunshine State. Mack also opted to spend time in Florida instead of being on Capitol Hill for two dozen votesMarch 26-29 — skipping out on the Ryan budget, one of the most critical and politically consequential votes that House members will cast this year.

Campaign spokesman David James noted that Mack has made it to 96 percent of votes since he was sworn in to Congress in January 2005 and that Mack — the son of a former two-term senator — has traveled 14,000 miles in Florida as he makes his pitch for a statewide seat. He’s also raked in campaign cash, reporting a first-quarter haul of $1 million earlier this month.

“Sure, he’s in a Senate campaign; Yes, he will probably miss a few votes this year, but certainly there is careful attention given to that,” James said. “Right now, frankly, such fundamental change in Washington is needed and that requires defeating liberal Bill Nelson.”

And to be clear, there haven’t been any roll call votes that are so close that one lawmaker’s absence would make a difference.

Still, at a recent tea party event in Florida, Mack found himself dismissing the Ryan budget as a “joke” and said that it “doesn’t balance the budget for years.” His spokesman later explained the comment was intended as criticism of the budget process — since the House Republican plan has no chance of passing the Democratic-led Senate.

“While the Ryan budget has some brave proposals, all fiscally responsible measures coming out of the House are being killed by the liberal Senate, which is what all Floridians and Americans are frustrated with,” James said. He refused to tell POLITICO how Mack would have voted on the Ryan budget, although the spokesman told The Miami Herald earlier that Mack would have voted in favor of it.

Meanwhile, Hatch is engaged in perhaps his toughest reelection battle of his career as he tries to fend off primary challengers — such as former state Sen. Dan Liljenquist — and makes his longtime seniority in Washington a hallmark of his campaign.

Evelyn Call, a spokeswoman for the Hatch campaign, defended the senator’s absences this year and noted that he has made about 97 percent of the votes over his 36 years in office.

“With Utah’s unique election system, a candidate must spend more time in the state meeting with delegates one on one,” Call said in an email. “The votes that Sen. Hatch has missed this year has been due to his commitment to meet with his constituents to directly address any concerns or questions that they may have about his record of accomplishments, his priorities and his plan for the future.”

Exactly how politically damaging a missed vote can be depends on the vote itself.

“If the vote is, you know, a very high-profile vote that’s going to affect millions of Americans, that is a lost opportunity to connect with voters and can serve as a negative back home,” said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean. “But if a candidate is spending a lot of time at home and it is a high-profile race, there is an understanding that missing some votes is going to be accepted, especially for higher office.”

Aside from Mack, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) is the only other lawmaker in the analysis whose percentage of missed votes is in the double digits. Akin, who’s locked in a primary fight in the race to replace vulnerable Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), missed 22 percent of House votes in 2012.

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), who is still pursuing the Republican presidential nomination and has said he will retire from Congress, regardless of the primary results, has missed a whopping 88 percent of House votes this year, according to the POLITICO analysis.